Finding One Another
by InuGirl1028
Summary: Erin and Nova have been on the run for years. With Nova being a dragon, a Night Fury, and Erin's best friend, they don't belong anywhere except on their own. When they meet Hiccup and his group of friends, Erin is shocked to find that Toothless is also a Night Fury and that Nova doesn't have to be alone anymore. XX Rated T for reasons HicxAstrid; OCxOC; slight ToothxNova... Enjoy!
1. Erin and Nova

**So to anyone who's wondering…this story is in an AU. It takes place 3-4 months prior to HTTYD2. It'll eventually lead into the movie, but since there will be added characters it's an AU. And also if the pairings were a little confusing, it's AstridxHiccup and my two OC's. Most of the story will be written in Erin's POV, but it may change at times. Enjoy! (: **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from HTTYD. I only own my OC's.**

All I could feel was the mind numbing cold. I felt the freezing wind constantly whipping at my face as we fell through the night sky. When we hit the water, the edges of my vision started to blacken. If I had any hope of surviving this, it was long gone now.

The freezing cold waters of the ocean swirled around me in torrents and waves, numbing my body to the point that I could not move a muscle. At this point I started to panic. I struggled to calm myself down because I knew panicking in this situation would not make things any better.

I opened my eyes and searched the water. I found her about twenty feet from me. Nova, my dragon, was trying to swim towards me. It was hard to see her through the brackish water, but her eyes shone bright. I thanked the Gods that she was alright, and the last thing I remember was the blackness overcoming my vision.

When I came to be conscious, I opened my eyes slowly and saw the tops of tall pine trees above my head. My throat burned from the amount of sea water I probably drank, and my head was pounding. It was morning now, and the sun shone brightly around the small clearing I lay in. I felt the sunshine warming my body. I cautiously turned my head in search of Nova. She was laying only a few feet from me on the mossy ground, looking up at me with her big blue-green eyes.

When I tried to sit up in the small patch of soft grass, Nova padded over to me and licked my face a little. I smiled and affectionately patted her raven scales.

"I'm alright girl. I guess you're a faster swimming than I thought you were." I laughed a little and she nuzzled her large head against my chest. She made a deep rumbling noise when I scratched a certain part on her neck. I realized that if she hadn't of somehow rescued me from the perilous ocean, I would be dead by now. I wondered how far she must've swam or flown to get to this place. It made me all the more grateful that she was my best friend.

"I love you, Nova. I don't know what I'd do without you." She made the same rumbling noise and licked my face again. Before I knew it, she hastily jumped back, crouched down on her two front legs like a dog would before it plays, and she opened her mouth and let her tongue fall out.

I giggled at the sight, knowing she was now ready to play. Luckily for her, my head wasn't throbbing anymore.

I smiled at her and started to stand up, but immediately felt a searing pain in my right leg. I cried out and began to fall but Nova was there, steadying me with her head. I lowered down to the ground and felt around my leg. I winced when I put pressure on a certain spot and determined that my leg was most likely broken.

I took a deep breath and looked around at the clearing. There was a small tree a few feet from where I sat in the grass. I scooted over to it and rested my back against the trunk. From this point I could see the entire clearing. It made me feel safer than lying out in the open.

"Looks like we're going to be stuck here for a while." I smirked at Nova and she made a scoffing noise. She moved closer and placed her head on my uninjured leg, and I affectionately massaged her scales and drew invisible shapes and words with my fingers.

I laid my head back against the tree truck and closed my eyes, wondering how in the world we were going to get out of here. I didn't even know where we were. We crash landed somewhere over the ocean, that much I knew.

Deciding on putting my plan of escape to rest for the moment, I started to hum a soft lullaby that I knew Nova enjoyed.

I was halfway through the short song when a voice caught my attention.

Nova heard it also, because her head picked up from my lap, and her eyes were on high alert. She must not have realized that this place was inhabited by people.

I tried my hardest not to make a sound as I stood up, supporting myself on the tree trunk. Nova made a sound of protest but I shook my head at her.

"Nova, go into the trees. If these are dragon hunters, they'll pay no mind to me if I'm alone. If they see you, they'll take you. My leg is broken so I can't even fight back. Please, Nova. You have to stay safe." She gave me a worried look, so I kissed the top of her head for reassurance.

"I'll be fine, just go." She looked at me one last time before taking off and landing in a nearby tree. I knew that she'd stay hidden, but she'd stay close enough to watch and make sure I was safe.

I braced myself against the tree, waiting and watching to see if anyone would come into our little clearing.

When someone did, I pushed myself against the tree, trying to hide in the shadows. I reached behind me and rested my hand on the dagger that rested in the sheath on my leather belt. If the time came that I needed to throw it, then I would.

The person who entered the clearing was a boy, probably around nineteen or twenty. My age. He was tall, but he wasn't gangly. He was muscular and could probably take down a five foot five girl like me. He had dark brown hair and even from the distance I was at, I could see his crystal blue eyes. His facial features were not intimidating…they held a softness that made him seem kind.

To my relief, his eyes passed right over me and I let out an inaudible sigh of relief. He didn't seem to have any weapons on him, save for the dagger attached to his belt. If he tried to come after me, my throwing knife would serve its purpose long before he could reach me.

What I wasn't prepared for though, was the dragon that came into the clearing a mere three feet from where he was standing. It was a Deadly Nadder.

I gasped a little bit and instantly regretted it. The dragon's head snapped up a little bit and it twitched from side to side, quite resembling a bird. I covered my hand with my mouth so as not to release anymore unwanted sounds.

I was so devastatingly scared in that moment, that I didn't even think to realize that the dragon hadn't made the slightest move towards the boy.

It almost looked…comfortable around him. I watched as the boy walked up to the dragon and rubbed its neck affectionately.

"What's the matter Cedric? Did you hear something?" He said it in a casual tone, as if he were talking to a friend.

My curiosity peaked at this point, overcoming my fear. People hated dragons. I was the only person to befriend one…wasn't I? My village thought of them only as pests, and we'd been on the run from dragon hunters for years. Not once had we ever found a place where dragons were accepted.

The Nadder let out a screech in my direction, and my heart sunk when I saw the boy looked in my direction and his eyes found mine. My heart raced and I began to think of several ways I could escape, but each was useless due to the fact that my leg was broken, and he had a dragon. I was backed into a corner with nowhere to go…

'_At least Nova can make it out of this unscathed.' _I thought.

The boy started to move towards me with a curious look on his face. Trying to protect myself from what he could possible do, I unsheathed my knife, holding it in front of me half an arms distance away.

I heard rustling in the trees and I shot a quick glance towards where I assumed Nova was. I shook my head ever so slightly, praying she wouldn't show herself.

When I turned my attention back to the boy, he was probably five feet in front of me. He had his hands up in front of him, signaling surrender.

"Whoa, hey. I'm not going to hurt you if that's what you're worried about. You can put the knife away." He told me all of this in a cautious tone, one that was not at all threatening. He seemed sincere but I didn't buy it. His eyes searched mine, trying to decipher why I was in the woods alone.

"Who are you? Are you a dragon hunter?" My knife was still in the same position and my eyes never left his. I watched his expression go from concern to disbelief.

"A dragon hunter? No…I like to think of myself more of a dragon _trainer_." He said it with a small chuckle and looked back at his dragon. When he looked back at me, his face changed to concern. Something in my face must've alerted him to my fear because he backed away and stood next to his dragon.

"See? He's not being hunted. He trusts me." He patted the dragons back and it shook out its scales in response. (**A/N: Meaning they shook themselves much like the way a dog does when they shake water off of themselves.**)

I lowered my dagger only a fraction of an inch. I didn't think it was possible. That anyone could be like me. Everyone I'd ever met either wanted dragons gone or dead. I wasn't about to lower my guard now.

"How do I know he is not your slave?" I asked, my voice quivered a little, but he didn't seem to notice.

He didn't give me an answer right away which only furthered my suspicion. His face changed so that he looked like he was contemplating how to respond to what I'd just said. His eyes lowered to the ground for a few seconds, but then he looked right back up at me.

"Well to be quite honest, there's not really any way I can prove to you that he's not. But he's not…Cedric here is my best friend. I'm Destin by the way." He said all of this nonchalantly, as if I wasn't currently threatening him with a dagger. I swallowed and waited for him to say something else…something that would surely give him away.

"Look…you look a little beat up…and you're out here by yourself. Why don't you come back to the village with Cedric and I, and we can help you." He started to walk towards me but stopped a short ways away. He looked at me with a soft expression and my idea of him being a dragon hunter started to diminish.

"I do not trust you. How do I know you won't hurt me?" My voice shook, and I realized he was right. On top of my broken leg, my body was scratched up and so were my clothes. I didn't know how long it had been since our crash and I had no idea how long it had been since we'd last eaten. He seemed to nod in understanding.

"Look, I'm going to go get some of my friends. I promise on my life we will never hurt you. I'll never hurt you. But at least hear us out, okay?" His promise sounded so sincere that I lowered my arm to my side. I saw the truth in his eyes. He did not wish to hurt me. I nodded to meeting his friends…knowing full well it could be a trap.

I watched as his dragon, Cedric, trotted over to us. I tensed slightly but when he nuzzled up to Destin, I felt myself relax a bit. I stared at him in wonder. I'd never been this close to a dragon that wasn't Nova.

Destin seemed to have notice. He smiled at me and held his hand out to me.

"You can touch him if you want. He won't hurt you." I looked at him, wondering if this was a trick. I slowly sheathed my dagger and pushed away from the tree. The pain in my leg was not so excruciating anymore, but I still stumbled. I was surprised to find that Cedric had steadied me with his head much the same way Nova always did.

I blinked in surprise but did not move away. I ran my fingers under his jaw and noticed his scales felt the same as Nova's. I wondered if all dragons had the same texture to them. A small smile slipped onto my face when he grumbled slightly. It was higher pitched than Nova's, but still just as loud.

"He likes you." Was all Destin said, and I realized this probably wasn't the best position to be in. I gently pushed myself away from the dragon and stood tall. Destin looked at me like he wanted to ask me something, but in the end I guess he decided against it.

"I'll be right back, okay? Just don't go anywhere. It'll be worth it I swear." He smiled brightly at me and mounted Cedric. I wondered how he could be this kind to someone he'd only just met. Let alone someone who threatened him.

I nodded and I watched as Cedric took off with Destin on his back, flying above the trees to the east.

As soon as they were out of sight, I felt Nova's presence on my left and I patted her head.

"It'll be okay, Nova. Cedric really seemed to trust him. Maybe they're like us." I graced her with a small smile and she nuzzled against my side softly, so I wouldn't fall over.

"I need you to stay in the trees for just a bit longer. Once I know they won't hurt us, I'll call you down, okay?" She made a grumbling noise in her throat and I patted her head. I heard the loud flapping of several pairs of wings nearby and I looked to Nova who was already staring up at the morning sky in the same direction.

"Go now, it'll be okay." Once again, Nova took off into one of the nearby trees.

I heard the rustling of bushes outside of the clearing, and wondered why they didn't just land here. Perhaps they thought I was scared of the dragons they so obviously had.

The first to enter the clearing was Destin. He came through without Cedric and looked around the clearing to find me. He smiled when he saw me. I guess he was glad I hadn't taken off. It took me a little off guard that he must've felt that way. I always felt unwanted to everyone.

Next to enter was a boy who was a little taller than me with a thicker build and dark brown hair. The smirk he wore made him look sort of narcissistic, but he didn't seem to intimidate Destin. I took this as a sign that he was okay.

Then came a boy and a girl who were obviously twins. They had the same long blond hair and narrow features. They seemed to be in the midst of an argument. I quirked my brow slightly when the girl pulled the boys hair.

Then came a rather large boy with soft, baby like features. He seemed incredibly harmless and shy from what I could see.

Last to enter was a girl my height with braided blonde hair. She held hands with a boy a little bit taller than her. He had brown hair and eyes the same shade of green as mine. The only thing odd about him was that his left leg was missing. Where it should've been was a piece of metal that seemed to hold him up just fine. They were all my age if not older.

When I saw the boy with the missing leg, I felt the large scar across my back start to ache. I winced slightly and wondered why it was acting up. I'd had it since I was a baby and it'd never hurt me before.

When I decided to step forward, they all stopped what they were doing and looked at me. I looked to Destin because he was the only person I was familiar with. I felt uncertainty then…like doing this was idiotic and I should've fled when I had the chance.

The boy with the missing leg let go of what I believed to be his girlfriends' hand and took a few steps forward.

"So Destin here tells me that you thought we were dragon hunters?" He said it in a friendly way, almost jokingly.

"I have had several encounters with them. Surely you can't blame me for being cautious." He seemed to consider what I just said and nodded, smiling.

"That's true. You don't have to worry though. We're anything but dragon hunters." He looked around at all of his companions and began to introduce everyone.

"Allow me to introduce all of us. I'm Hiccup. You can laugh, I know it's weird. This is Ruffnut and Tuffnut." The twins momentarily stopped their bickering to look at me and nod a simple "hey" before continuing again.

I smiled slightly and the antics of brother and sister.

"This is Snotlout." He gestured to the boy who looked narcissistic. Snotlout gave me a flirtatious wink which I raised my eyebrow at. Hiccup rolled his eyes a bit and moved on to the next person.

"This is Fishlegs." He motioned towards the boy who was larger than the others and he waved shyly at me, but then returned to reading through a small book. I smiled when Destin game me a thumbs up.

"Hi, I'm Astrid." The girl with the blonde hair approached me and smiled. I smiled back and looked at Hiccup. He was smiling at Astrid in a way that oozed love. After a moment he looked back at me.

"Destin came to us saying he found you and you didn't want help? I understand if you think we might be dragon hunters…but I think we have some proof that might convince you." He smiled and nodded towards his friends.

All except for Hiccup disappeared the way they came.

When they reentered the clearing a few moments later, they all had a dragon.

Astrid had her own Deadly Nadder, Destin had Cedric, Fishlegs had a Gronckle, Snotlout had a Monstrous Nightmare, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut had a Hideous Zippleback. I had never seen any of these dragons this close before…but now they were right here in front of me, and they were beautiful.

I wondered if Hiccup had a dragon. Maybe he couldn't ride with his leg that way.

In the end I decided not to ask. I didn't want to be rude.

"They…they're yours?" I asked Hiccup in amazement. Each one was beautiful. I never thought I'd find other people who loved dragons. I was about to call Nova to come down when Hiccup spoke up.

"Well not these ones. These guys are all theirs. My best bud Toothless is still back in the woods. Toothless! You should come meet someone!" Hiccup yelled back into the forest, and I wondered what kind of dragon Toothless might be. I momentarily scolded myself for thinking that Hiccup might not be able to ride a dragon because of his leg.

I heard the rustling of bushes at the far end of the clearing and almost stumbled backwards at the sight of the black, streamlined dragon making its way over to Hiccup.

The dragon was a Night Fury. He was black and lean, with gorgeous blue-green eyes that gazed upon me with curiosity. He had a saddle strapped to his back, just like the other dragons did. But just like Hiccup, something made him unique. Part of his tail was missing, and where it would've been was a replacement that was red with a white dragon skull painted onto it.

"He's a Night Fury." Were the only words I spoke. I let out a laugh that was half relief and half joy. Hiccup seemed happy with my enthusiasm and turned to Toothless who had his eyes trained on me, with his head tilted.

"Toothless this is…uhm…well we never did get your name." Hiccup said. Astrid came up next to him and took his hand in hers.

"Erin. My name is Erin. This dragon…he's yours?" I smiled as Toothless nuzzled Hiccup's hip lovingly.

"Yup. Toothless here is my best friend, and probably the last of his kind." Hiccup started to playfully wrestle with Toothless and the relief hit me like a brick wall. My happy smile turned into a small sad one.

Astrid immediately came forward, concern etched in her features.

"Hey…are you okay?" She put a hand on my shoulder and I nodded. I was more than okay. I was amazing.

"No…he…he's not the last." I said it quietly, but Hiccup still heard and stopped playing with Toothless and looked at me with disbelief.

Everyone stared at me then, as if I were now a Zippleback who had a second head. I felt my cheeks flush with the sudden attention. I took a deep breath and turned to look behind me, in the direction of the tree tops.

"Nova…you can come down." I watched as tree branches quivered and she came into view. She jumped down from her perch and landed next to me gracefully. She stood on my left side so I could lean against her. I smiled at her and rubbed her neck affectionately.

Nova wasn't alone anymore.

We'd found another Night Fury.

**Author's Note**: So there you go! Nova is a female Night Fury, which means that she and Toothless aren't alone. (: In the next chapter, Erin and Nova will discover Berk and all its wonders! :D Review please!


	2. Home

**Hey guys I'm back! Just an FYI, I'm going to try and update every weekend. I might be late some weeks, and some weeks, if I'm in the mood, I might even post two chapters! :D Well I hope you guys are prepared for the big surprise in this chapter! Keep in mind this is in an alternate universe.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon, or any of the characters besides my OC's.**

"Nova…you can come down." I watched as tree branches quivered and she came into view. She jumped down from her perch and landed next to me gracefully. She stood on my left side so I could lean against her. I smiled at her and rubbed her neck affectionately.

Nova wasn't alone anymore.

We'd found another Night Fury.

The joy from that simple statement was almost overwhelming. Ever since I could remember, I'd prayed that there were others like her out in the world…it seems that the gods have answered my prayers.

When I looked back up at the group of dragon riders, all of their faces held amazement and wonder. Toothless seemed to be looking at Nova like he was trying to figure out what she was. He tilted his head to the side and examined her.

To my surprise, Nova didn't seem stressed in the least bit by all of the dragons around her. She probably sensed they were trustworthy. Gazing at her now, I saw her eyes were locked on the dragon that looked just like her, save for a few minor details.

The first gaze I met when I looked up was Destin's. He smiled at me and walked over. I felt less afraid now and it did not make me uncomfortable when he stood close to me.

"Wow, I had no idea you had a Night Fury. I can see now why you were worried about us being trappers. She sure is a beauty." At his words, I looked back at her and she was now in the process of circling Toothless while he circled her. They looked like they were about to play, much to my relief.

I was broken out of watching the two dragons when Hiccup strode up to stand next to Destin. He had a large smile on his face when he looked at me.

"How did you find her? I mean, where did she come from? I always thought Toothless was the last of the Night Furies. Do you ride her?" His questions came out in a flurry but I was happy to respond. I knew exactly how he was feeling, as I had a million questions of my own.

I let out a breath of a laugh and stepped backwards to get a better look at Nova and Toothless. Toothless seemed to be introducing her to the other dragons and the other riders. Nova seemed slightly tense but loosened when she was sure no one was going to harm her.

I was about to answer Hiccup when I suddenly felt very faint. I stumbled, my head spinning.

It was Destin who caught me this time. He steadied me but didn't let go. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Nova's head snap up at the small groan I made. She immediately stopped playing and came over to me, nudging my side.

"I'm okay." I said it to both her and Destin, but neither seemed convinced.

Astrid came over next. She pushed aside my auburn curls that covered my face and felt my forehead.

"She doesn't have a fever, but she's definitely not in good shape. Erin, when was the last time you ate anything?" She asked me like she knew it had been days.

"When we crashed…I hadn't eaten in three days. Neither had Nova. I don't know how long I was unconscious for." I closed my eyes, trying to make the dizziness in my head go away.

Astrid took a step back and looked at Hiccup.

"She may have a concussion. We don't know how she landed and it'll only get worse if she doesn't eat soon. We have to get both of them back to Berk."

Hiccup nodded and looked down at my pale form.

"Erin, will Nova follow Toothless back to where we live? There's no reason for her to fear us. I promise she will be taken care of." I nodded to him and looked down at Nova.

"Nova…you need to go with Toothless, okay? I promise, we'll go riding as soon as we can. I love you." She nudged my hand and I scratched her scales softly.

I felt Destin pick me up then. I was surprised that his grip on me did not loosen in the slightest. When he turned to walk over to Cedric, I looked behind him to see Nova looking at me with a worried gaze. I gave her a small smile of encouragement.

I turned back to see Cedric lowering himself to the ground to allow Destin to mount him. He gracefully did this without any effort.

I didn't quite understand what he was doing. It felt odd for a stranger to take this much care with me.

Even though I knew it was odd, I did not protest when he cradled me closer to him as Cedric took off along with the others.

I felt the wind whipping through my hair and I felt at home. I lifted my head slightly to see Nova flying directly next to us. Her gaze flickered to me several times, and it also flickered up to look at Destin, who still held a worried look on his face.

He must've noticed I was looking at him, because he looked down and met my green eyes with his bright blue ones. His dark hair was tousled from the wind. His features relaxed a bit and he smiled slightly.

"Hang in there, Princess. We're almost home." He looked over to Nova, then and chuckled quietly.

"She sure does care about you." I smiled at that, knowing it was an understatement.

My mind caught up to me then, and I realized what he'd just said. _Home? Is there really any place that I can call home?_

My body tensed lightly as I felt Cedric start to slowly lose altitude. Looking out to the sky, I saw the clouds start to disperse, and a large island came into view. There were houses everywhere, and it seemed to be very colorful.

Green grass covered the island, for it was still late summer here. What surprised me the most were the dragons flying all around the island. Some had riders on their backs, and some did not.

In a sense, it was beautiful. It was something I'd always wanted to see. Dragons and people together. Just like Nova and I.

I smiled brightly, and I tried not to notice Destin looking at me with a curious smile.

"Welcome to Berk." He said it so softly, I was surprised I even heard him.

I gripped onto the front of his armor when Cedric started to land. When we were on the ground, I let go of Destin's armor. A small part of me wanted him to let me down, to let me explore this paradise. But another part of me wanted to stay in his arms for a bit longer.

I immediately reprimanded myself for that comment. I barely even knew him.

When he started to walk towards a large pair of double doors that seemed to be cut into the side of a cliff, I felt Nova pad up beside us, keeping pace.

Hiccup and the others had already landed, and were waiting at the door for the three of us. We reached them within a few seconds.

Without hesitation, Hiccup pushed open the doors and the group strode inside. Ruffnut and Tuffnut pushing each other, Snotlout had his arms crossed as he looked around, Fishlegs scurried inside, and Hiccup and Astrid strode in together. Destin walked in with me still in his arms last.

I was disappointed slightly that Nova didn't enter. The thought that someone would be feeding her relaxed me, though. She needed food and to be taken care of just as much as I did. I trusted that Hiccup would not let anything happen to her.

I watched as Hiccup walked up to a few women. I could see him speaking to them, but I couldn't hear. My neck started to hurt from the position it was in, so I leaned my temple against Destin's chest, grateful for the relief.

I gathered that the women Hiccup had spoken to were healers. They motioned for all of us to follow them into a small room off to the side. They guided Destin to a small table, where he laid me down on the hard surface. They immediately went to work on examining me.

They cleaned the cuts and scrapes that lined my legs and arms, simultaneously giving me small amounts of food. The food made me slowly start to focus and everything in the room became clearer.

Everyone except for Destin and the healers had left the room.

When the healers turned me over onto my stomach to examine my back, he started up a conversation with me.

"So Princess…how long have you and Nova been with each other?" He sat in a chair beside the table I was laying on, his elbows propped up on it. His face showed anything but boredom. It looked like he had a million unanswered questions running through his mind.

The intensity of his bright blue eyes on mine made my thoughts unclear for a moment, and I lightly shook my head to clear the haze.

"Why do you call me that? Princess, I mean." I said it without really thinking. I had meant to answer his question, but it was the first thing that came to my mind.

He gave me a small smile at my question but didn't answer.

"I'm not a princess…far from it actually." I let out a tiny breath of a laugh and shook my head, putting my face against my arms and closing my eyes. How could anyone think I was a princess?

"When I first saw you, you looked like a princess. Even though you looked like you'd been through a lot, you were strong, you held yourself high, and you're beautiful." I stiffened slightly and felt my breath catch in my throat. It didn't escape my attention that he just called me beautiful, even though I was beaten and bruised.

I felt the healers run soft hands over the large scars across my back. Luckily, they did not question them. Most likely due to the fact that they were long since healed. I sighed.

I opened my eyes and looked at him then, meeting his blue gaze.

"Twelve years."

His expression changed to confusion and I laughed softly.

"You asked how long Nova and I had been together. Twelve years. I met her when I was only eight." I sighed, remembering the first time I'd actually met Nova. I had been terrified, but somewhere inside me, I knew she didn't want to hurt me, and she was just as scared as I was.

He nodded slowly, and I could see that he had another question on the tip of his tongue. I smiled encouragingly. Sooner or later, everyone would know about me.

"How did you find her? Surely you don't just walk up on a Night Fury." He chuckled lightly, and I realized that I liked the sound of it.

Shaking away that thought, I opened my mouth to answer. But before any words were spoken, a large man came through the doorway with Hiccup trailing right behind him.

From the way the healers looked upon him with respect, I came to the conclusion that he was the Chief. I immediately felt unwelcome here for no apparent reason. Like I was intruding in a private place.

When Destin backed away to where Hiccup stood, my fear grew. His presence calmed me for some reason, and with him gone, I felt vulnerable. Though Destin's calm demeanor never left his body, mine was rigid with the anticipation of possibly being thrown out of this beautiful place.

"Erin, this is Stoick, the Chief of Berk, and my Dad." Hiccup said, bouncing up and down slightly on his metal leg.

The fact that he was Hiccup's father caused me to relax a bit.

I looked up to examine the rather large man. He had the same color eyes as Hiccup, and the same color eyes as me. His hair and beard were a deep auburn color with strips of gray that betrayed his age. He looked at me with kind eyes, no doubt knowing what happened thanks to Hiccup.

"Dad, this is Erin. She was the girl who's been with Nova." Hiccup's father held a bright smile at that.

"Well it is quite a relief to have found another Night Fury. We were worried that Toothless was the last of his kind." He had a deep accent that seemed to be lacking in all of the teenagers I'd must thus far.

He walked over to the doorway from which he entered and looked back at me.

"Erin, you and Nova are welcome to stay in Berk as long as you'd like." He smiled, and for a brief moment his eyes flicked down to my arm, and I saw his eyes widen.

It was not unusual for someone to be surprised to see the almost flame shaped birthmark on my left upper arm. Many people even believed it to be a burn mark from a dragon.

The Chief walked back over to the table where I lay, bent to a knee so that he was level with me, and took a closer look, never saying a word. I didn't really understand why he looked so utterly astounded.

"Where did you get this? Is it a scar?" I'd heard those questions many times before, so the answers came easily to me.

"No it's not a scar, I was born with it." I said it exactly like I had the last million times.

What was different was the chief's reaction to my statement.

He breathed a deep laugh, and looked up to meet my eyes, which were the same color as his. There were small, almost invisible tears in the corners of his eyes.

I immediately regretted what I'd said. It must have upset him in some way. I expected him to tell me I was lying, like others had, saying it had to be a burn from a dragon. They would call me foolish for associating with them.

Instead he just looked back at Hiccup and Destin, both looking thoroughly confused. When he looked back at me, he smiled wide.

"What is your name?" He asked me.

I was perplexed by the question. Hiccup had just spoken my name only a few minutes ago.

"My name is Erin." I spoke slowly.

"Your real name." I stiffened slightly, fear lacing my veins. The only people who knew my real name were my mother, who'd left me when I was only a baby, and my adoptive family. If this man knew who I was he could very well be trying to bring me back home.

But then I thought again…my old village hated dragons, and these people live side by side with them. There's no way they're connected.

"Irina." I spoke in a whisper, terrified that saying my birth name aloud would cause my past to find me. Looking back up to the Chief, I saw his eyes alight with an unfathomable joy. What he said next changed my life forever.

"You've come home…"

**Author's Note: Sorry to leave you guys with a cliffhanger! So I think anyone can probably guess what Stoick means. The next chapter will have a full explanation of Erin's past. How she met Nova, her adoptive family, her real mother, her time on the run, everything. If there are any specific questions that any of you want answered in the next chapter, just review and let me know and I will try my best to squeeze them in! **

**Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed last week! I wasn't expecting people to really like this fic that much! If you didn't catch it in the first note, I'm going to try and update on a weekly basis, usually Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. If you have any questions or comments let me know!**


	3. Coming To Be

**Hey guys! So I'm back with the next chapter. Sorry I'm late on updating…My dad's been gone for two months and he just got home yesterday. Then my friend spent the night with me and I haven't had a lot of time to finish and edit everything. But anyways, here's chapter three!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon. I only own my OC's**

"What is your name?" He asked me.

I was perplexed by the question. Hiccup had just spoken my name only a few minutes ago.

"My name is Erin." I spoke slowly.

"Your real name." I stiffened slightly, fear lacing my veins. The only people who knew my real name were my mother, who'd left me when I was only a baby, and my adoptive family. If this man knew who I was he could very well be trying to bring me back home.

But then I thought again…my old village hated dragons, and these people live side by side with them. There's no way they're connected.

"Irina." I spoke in a whisper, terrified that saying my birth name aloud would cause my past to find me. Looking back up to the Chief, I saw his eyes alight with an unfathomable joy. What he said next changed my life forever.

"You've come home…"

In a word, I was shocked.

"Home? I…I don't understand. I've never been here before." I sat upright as best I could without moving my leg, and looked up at him.

"No…you were. Irina this is your home…" He looked at Hiccup, who still looked totally and utterly confused.

"We're your family." He said it quietly, but the raw emotion in his voice was not hard to hear.

My eyes widened. I opened my mouth to deny what the chief was saying. To argue that I hadn't been born here, that I was from a different village. That my mother had abandoned me and left. But somewhere deep down, the possibility of it roared up to the forefront of my mind.

I had the same color eyes as both Hiccup and Stoick. Though of course, that could've been pure coincidence, what wasn't was the way my scar fired up when I first saw Hiccup. It was as if it was making sure I knew that I'd found him. This also, however, could've just been a random act, caused by the fall with Nova.

The only thing I knew would be able to confirm any of this, was the small thing I asked next.

I looked to Hiccup then, the boy who was supposedly my brother.

"Hiccup…where is your mother?" I did not know what I hoped for him to say. If she was here, then I'd finally be able to meet the woman who'd left me behind, and we would find out once and for all if I belonged to this family.

"She…she was taken when I was only a baby." My heart cracked slightly, knowing that Hiccup had grown up without a true mother also. Hiccup's face did not hold sadness, only a deep confusion.

Stoick spoke up then, his eyes sad with memories of the past.

"You and Hiccup are twins, fraternal, but twins. You were born with that birthmark. Sometimes it was the only way we could tell you and Hiccup apart as newborns. Your mother was taken from us when you were still just an infant. Though it was not her intention…you were taken with her." His eyes fell to the ground as he said it.

My heart faltered at his words. This couldn't be possible.

"Why didn't you ever tell me I had a sister?" Hiccup didn't sound angry. His eyes held a different emotion. One that made him sound sad, happy, and relieved all at the same time.

"I thought it'd be best if you didn't know about your sister. When your mother was taken by the dragons, we all assumed she and Irina were dead."

Hiccup looked like he was about to argue, but not before I spoke up.

"Dragons? Dragons took my mother?" I thought of my scars on my back then. My adoptive parents had always told me I'd gotten to close to a wild bear when I was little, but I knew better. Perhaps while she was trying to get me to a safe place, something went wrong.

"She didn't abandon me…she tried to keep me safe…didn't she?" I asked Stoick, considering he knew her the best.

"She would've never abandoned you. She must've tried to find a place for you among a village." I knew he was being sincere. The words hurt my heart, and tears began to well at the corners of my eyes. All my life I'd believed my mother was a woman who didn't want me. But she was only trying to save me.

The tears spilled over then and I flashed a heartbreaking smile. For once I didn't care if I cried in front of people. For once I knew I didn't have to push down how I felt.

"I…I have a family. I'm not alone." I smiled brighter then, the hot tears still flowing as Stoick enveloped me in a large hug, and I made a mental note that I should ask for permission to call him 'Dad.'

Hiccup walked over then, Destin in tow. I realized he had been entirely silent the entire conversation, but was happy nonetheless.

"So I guess this means I can call you sis?" He asked jokingly. I smiled and hugged him tightly. I didn't care that I'd known him less than twenty four hours. I was so happy, it was hard to contain.

Before any more words could be said, one of the healers spoke up. I'd almost forgotten they were even in the room.

"Irina, it seems that your scratches will heal well with time. You do not have any head injuries, and your leg is not broken, only severely bruised. You are able to walk on it, but slowly and with support." She smiled at me and walked out of the room, leaving with me with Hiccup, Destin, and my newly deemed father.

"As celebration, we'll be having a bonfire feast tonight in the woods. It won't be too many people. Just us," He gestured to all of us present in the room. "the teenagers, Gobber, and the dragons." Stoick announced. I wondered who Gobber was, but decided I'd find out later.

"That sounds absolutely amazing…but you don't have to do that for me." I blushed. Nothing I'd ever done had been celebrated. Not even my name day.

"Nonsense. My daughter has come home. That is more than enough to celebrate." His tone held little room for argument so I laughed and nodded.

"Hiccup, tell everyone else what I've told you three, and inform everyone of tonight." Hiccup nodded and left the room.

"It seems I have a celebration to plan. I will see you both tonight. I suggest you rest until then, Irina." My father smiled slightly, his suggestion more of a protective order, and he left the room after Hiccup.

Destin looked at me then, his blue eyes filled to the brim with excitement.

"Well, Princess, I guess that means you're one of us now." I swung my legs over the side of the bed I was on, letting them dangle.

Destin stood in front of me and we were silent for several seconds.

"I guess you'll be seeing a lot more of me then." I teased. I'd pretty much been nothing but trouble since he'd met me, but something told me he didn't mind.

"That I will." He said it happily, a small smile gracing his lips. He tucked a loose auburn curl behind my ear. I blushed from the close contact, but didn't mind. It felt nice.

"You should probably rest until tonight." He held out his arm to me jokingly.

"I will return at sundown to escort you to your celebration, my lady." I giggled at his façade, but looped my arm under his.

"Well, thank you my good sir." I bowed my head, and did my best curtsy while sitting on a table. He laughed at that and pulled away, walking towards the door.

"Don't get into too much trouble while I'm gone, Princess." He smirked and walked out of the room.

I was left with a stupid smile on my face, and a warm feeling in my heart. I'd never felt this happy before.

Laying back on the hard healing bed, I closed my eyes, and soon drifted into a much needed sleep.

After a brief nap, I awoke and immediately asked a healer if there was a place that I could bathe.

She nodded happily.

After soaking in the warm water for a short time, I got out and got dressed into a new set of clothes that had been laid out. Among the new clothes were long black pants, a green top with gold accents, and a pair of black boots.

It took a bit of time to manage the pants on with my leg still aching, but I eventually managed. I slipped on the boots, tucking my pant legs inside.

After my hair was mostly dried, I tied it into a loose braid that fell over my shoulder. A few curls slipped away from the braid and hung a bit past my ears, coiling up into loose springs.

I almost looked like a new person now. Free of dirt and stains. It felt good to be clean.

When I found my way back to the healing room, I saw that Destin was waiting by the bed where I previously was. It seemed like it had only been a few hours since he'd left instead of most of the day. It was good to see him though.

"Hey, Princess. Wow…you look great." He smiled and I blushed when his gaze never left mine. He seemed to snap out of his gaze and his face lit up.

"Ready to go?" He offered his arm once more and I took it, using it as a slight support as we walked out of the room.

We walked through the area where we'd first seen the healers. It was a warm place. Lots of people around, who were all staring at me. There were several fires lit, and tables all around. I tried not to notice everyone looking at me. No doubt they'd heard the news.

"We're almost outside." He spoke in a reassuring tone, and I was grateful that he understood I was uncomfortable with all of these people looking at me.

Once we were past the large doors, and outside, I saw that it was indeed sunset.

The sky was lit up with oranges and red and pinks. My attention was soon drawn away from the sky, to the black dragon making its way over to me.

I recognized Nova immediately, and a bright smile lit up my face.

"Nova! I missed you!" I wrapped my arms around her large neck, and I felt her nuzzle the side of her head into my shoulder.

"She's coming to, right?" I looked behind me, aiming my question at Destin. He chuckled and nodded.

"Of course. She's actually your transportation." He walked over to where I was standing, Nova now at my side.

"I thought you were taking me." I furrowed my brow, trying not to sound disappointed. He didn't buy it, but also didn't comment.

"Don't worry, Princess. I just can't carry you the whole way there is all." He winked and I fought the urge to roll my eyes, even though I was smiling like an idiot.

"Up ya go!" He quickly picked me up and put me on Nova, who didn't falter in the slightest under my weight. I sat side saddle for a moment, a little confused.

"Are we riding?" I asked him. I was a little confused because Cedric was nowhere in sight.

"No, I'm walking. Nova's following, and you're riding." He chuckled and begain to walk forwards, making his way down the hill.

"Whoa, why don't we ride? We'll get there quicker." I protested.

"Well Cedric is already there with the others. He flew with Astrid and Storm Fly." He said, starting to move forward again. There was nothing I wanted to do more right now than fly, and I intended to get my wish.

"What's wrong? Scared to ride a Night Fury?" My voice implied a challenge, and I was waiting for him to take the bait.

He turned and gave me a look that told me I'd have to do better.

"C'mon, please? She needs some exercise." I looked at him with a pleading expression, trying to look as cute as possible. I saw his resolve fading and he rolled his eyes.

"Fine, fine. But if we die, I'll have to kill you." He walked over gracefully, not betraying any fear in his stride that was clear in his tense shoulders.

I swung my right leg over the other side of Nova and felt Destin climb on behind me.

"Hold on." I blushed when he wrapped his arms around my torso.

"C'mon girl." I patted her neck softly.

She took off effortlessly, gliding, but slowly gaining altitude with each flap of her raven wings.

She was careful not to jostle too much because of my leg, and I was grateful.

I let out a happy laugh, loving the familiar wind against my skin and thrill of being above the world. I raised my arms and stretched them out, holding onto Nova with only the muscles of my thighs.

I felt Destin stiffen at this, no doubt worried about our safety, but I knew nothing would happen. I only enjoyed the moment. The moment ended shortly when I realized I had no idea where I was supposed to be going. I tapped Nova on the neck, giving her the signal to stop.

"Destin, where do we go from here?" I called.

"We're not too far, actually. Do you see that clearing down there?" He pointed towards the ground, where a large, green clearing held several people and dragons.

I nodded and tapped Nova again, giving her the signal to go. We glided effortlessly down, landing at the southern end of the clearing. Everyone's heads turned as we landed, and I blushed again from the attention.

After landing, Destin and I dismounted. I noticed my leg was feeling a little better, and I felt okay to walk on my own.

Nova immediately took off to run around with Toothless and Cedric. She seemed most comfortable with them, but would soon be better with the rest of the dragons, I hoped.

Mostly everyone was seated around the large pile of logs in the middle of the clearing. They all smiled and greeted us when we approached.

The chief stood from his seat on a chopped log and came forward to bring me into a short embrace, which I didn't refuse.

"Irina, there's someone I'd like you to meet. This is Gobber. He's my closest friend." The man my father introduced me to was large. He was missing a hand, and a leg. He smiled at me in greeting, and I returned it.

"Nice to meet you, there, lass." He had a thick accent, just as my father did, and I shook his remaining hand.

After introductions, I sat next to Destin on one of the logs and watched as Hiccup had Toothless set the fire in the middle of the clearing.

The sparks burned blue and then shifted to orange and red. It was amusing to watch.

We were all givien meat and a sharp stick on which to cook it with. I wasn't quite hungry at the moment, so I set mine down for the time being.

It was silent for a while, but eventually, someone spoke up. That someone was Astrid.

"So…Erin…or should I call you Irina? Where did you come from?" She didn't seem to be too hungry either because she sat on the ground, her back against the log, and her legs up against her chest.

"I'd actually prefer Erin, thank you for asking. Well I came from a village that's actually really far from here. We lived on an island probably a little smaller than Berk, but we had no name." I spoke about my old life with bitter sweet emotions. So many bad things had happened there, but so many good things at the same time.

"What about your family you had there?" She asked. I knew it would be hard to talk about my adoptive family, but I had nothing to fear here, and that gave me confidence.

"I lived with my adoptive family on a small sheep farm. I had a father, a mother, and a sister. To be honest…they weren't much of a family. My father pretended that I didn't exist most of the time, pushing me aside like I was worthless. My mother…well she paid too much attention to me it seems. She'd scrutinize everything I did, always telling me that I was wrong. My sister…well my sister always treated me like I was an animal more than a human." I stared at the fire while I retold my long set aside memories of my past life.

"They didn't physically harm me, they only ever said hurtful things. They told me I was worthless, that my mother never wanted me." My heart clenched, but I knew the words they spoken were no longer true.

"I'm so sorry, Erin. That must've been hard for you." Astrid said, looking at me sadly. I offered her a small smile.

"It was a long time ago. I tend not to worry over it much anymore." I felt my gaze slip back to the fire. I could sense in the atmosphere that there were several unanswered questions still not voiced.

"You mentioned that you'd rather be called Erin. Why is that?" My father's voice did not sound accusing, and I was glad. I didn't want to offend him by changing my name.

"I only changed it because it was a reminder of my childhood. Being constantly reminded of the things I went through was not something I wanted to bear." I lowered my eyes to the ground, feeling ashamed.

"Do not worry. As long as you are happy, that is all that matters." I lifted my eyes to meet his and smiled. It wasn't long before the next question was voiced. Though this question was mine.

"Could I ask…what was my mother's name?" My eyes didn't leave my father's face as he smiled sadly.

"Valka." He said it quietly, but I knew everyone had heard it. All my life I'd wondered what her name was, hoping for any small connection. I smiled and closed my eyes for a brief moment.

"Why did you leave in the first place?" Hiccup asked. I opened my eyes and watched as he slid down off the log to sit next to Astrid, draping his arm around her shoulders.

"That's a pretty long story actually. Are you sure you want to hear it?" I looked around to everyone, making sure it was okay to go on. Everyone seemed to be okay with it.

I looked next to me at Destin and he gave me a reassuring smile. I took a deep breath.

"Well it all started when I found Nova." As if in response to hearing her name, she ceased her playing in the meadow grass to come to my side, sitting down next to the log I was on. I smiled up at her.

"I was eight. When I was younger, my parents used to punish me for small things like spilling something, or forgetting to clean a particular area. As punishment, they would send me out to sleep with the sheep. In a way, I actually enjoyed it. On warm nights I'd lay in the pasture grass and stare up at the stars, wishing to fly away." I looked up at the stars then, smiling like they were old friends.

"One night, during the winter, I was admiring the shooting stars zooming across the sky when I saw a black shadow pass over. It screeched and landed in the forest near my home. Being a curious eight year old, I went and saw what had happened.

"After searching for a good half hour, I finally found it. It was a dragon. Nova. I remember being scared, telling myself to run, to tell someone, but for some reason, bringing her to death made me want to cry.

"So I walked to her, not knowing if she was dead or not. I saw the large gash across her chest…" I paused to run my hand over the scar reaching across Nova's chest.

"I saw her breathing, and some part of me told me I needed to help her. So I did. I went home, asking my parents for a few bandages and medicine, telling them that one of the sheep had cut itself on the wire. They believed me, and I was able to bring the supplies back to her.

After taking care of the gash, I noticed that her eyes were open and staring right at me. I remember tripping backwards, scared that she'd now harm me, but she didn't. She only stood up to the best of her abilities and walked over to me. She stood two feet in front of me. Not knowing what to do, I tried to reach out and stroke her head, and to my surprise, she let me." I paused to stroke Nova's forehead. She grumbled deep in her chest.

I watched as the other dragons started to join their riders.

Astrid's dragon laid down beside her and leaned its head against Astrid's legs. Toothless laid down next to Hiccup; the twins' dragon had its body behind the log they were sitting on, but the separate heads came to rest in each of their laps. Fishlegs' dragon nuzzled his head affectionately against his riders' side. Snotlout's dragon came to coil its body around Snotlout's log, laying its head down in the grass in front of him. The dragon who I assume belonged to my father simply laid down next to him, as did Gobber's dragon.

I marveled at the sight in front of me.

"From that day on…she was my best friend." Nova placed her head in my lap momentarily, and I giggled softly.

No one else spoke, so I kept speaking.

"I'll never understand why she stayed. Her wings were not broken, nor was anything else. She could've flown away, never to be seen again. But she didn't. I always liked to think that she was just as alone as I was, and maybe in some small way I made her not feel alone anymore.

"I admit, punishment wasn't so bad anymore. Eventually, I intentionally did things that would get me sent to sleep outside. On those nights, I'd bring leftover food. Anything I could find, really. Fish, lamb, vegetables, and I'd give them to her to eat.

"It continued this way for years. Nova became my only source of happiness. I still remember the day she let me ride her. It was…the most unbelievable feeling I'd ever experienced." I fell into my memories of my rides with Nova. On sleepless nights, we'd explore the island, sometimes even going beyond.

I continued to my least favorite part of this story.

"As for why I left…well I had been walking home from our lessons with my sister and a few of her friends. I don't remember what I did wrong, but they pushed me to the ground and started punching me, kicking me, scratching me, trying to inflict as much pain as possible. I was fourteen then. I could've ran, I could've fought back, but I knew I'd receive a punishment worse than sleeping outdoors.

"I tried my best not to, because I knew she could hear, but one of the boys kicked me hard in the stomach, and I screamed. It didn't take long for Nova to come. I'd had my eyes closed in pain, but I heard the screams of my sister and her friends. Nova would never hurt them, but she did scare them.

"I remember her standing over my bruised body protectively as she growled at the children. Most of all I remember the threats from my sister. She was going to tell our parents. Whether or not they would believe her, I didn't know.

"I knew I'd eventually have to go home and face them. I convinced Nova to stay out of sight, but near enough that she would still be able to protect me, should anything happen.

"Walking through the front door, the first thing I heard was my sisters crying. Before I could even see her, I felt my fathers' hand slap me across my face. He'd never hit me before, so I didn't know what to do. All I remember was him yelling, calling me an outcast, a freak. I remember crying so hard that I could barely breathe. It didn't take long for Nova to realize that something was wrong. She crashed through the ceiling, growling at my family who yelled in shock. I wasted no time climbing onto her and leaving that horrid place. We never went back." A single tear slid down my cheek remembering all the things my father had called me.

"So you've been by yourself for that long?" Gobber asked, simultaneously eating a piece of meat.

I nodded. "Yes, for the past six years, it's only been Nova and I." I looked at Nova now. She was laying on the ground. I would've thought she was sleeping if her eyes hadn't of been wide open. She was staring at the fire with open interest.

"So where did those scars on your back come from?" Destin asked. I remembered he'd been in the healing room also.

"I'm not really sure, actually. I've had them since I was a baby. I always thought they were from a dragon, and now that I know my mother was taken by dragons, it's a very real possibility that there was a struggle." I remembered how my scars had hurt when I'd first seen Hiccup. I was still unsure as to why that had happened.

"What about the other scars you have?" Snotlout spoke up for the first time. I wasn't offended by the question. Fine, white lines covered most of my arms and legs. It was hard not to notice them.

"Well during our six years on the run, Nova and I had a few complications. Any place we landed for rest had villagers that would chase us away or try to hurt us. Though most of these are from dragon trappers. When I was younger, I was not so careful. We were caught several times, but we always managed to make it out, however slightly scathed." I looked at Nova and traced some of the blackish-blue scars lining her legs and back.

Everyone seemed to notice the scars for the first time, and they seemed surprised by the number of them.

"It had been two years since we'd had any incident at all…up until a few days ago. They surprised us mostly. It was nearly midnight and dark. We didn't see them fire the net at us. I impressed myself by cutting the rope off of Nova during our fall, but I wasn't quick enough. We hit the water hard. It knocked me out, and I probably would've died if Nova hadn't of rescued me. I woke up, not really knowing how long it'd been, and not long after that, Destin and Cedric came along." I looked at Destin who had his elbows on his knees, head propped in his hands, staring at the fire. He smiled.

"It's a good thing I convinced you to come back with me too. Otherwise the chief's daughter might've never returned." He sat upright and nudged my arm lightly with his elbow. Everyone laughed at that, and I felt truly welcomed by them all.

"So during your time with Nova, how many other dragon types have you seen?" Fishlegs asked. Something told me he was really interested in the different types of dragons by how enthusiastic his question sounded.

"Not many, really. Mostly common dragons, like the ones here. However I've seen a few others. On our own we've seen Thunderdrums and Timberjacks. But we've never seen anything else." I felt bad for disappointing Fishlegs. He seemed really interested in the dragons.

"So what do you exactly like to do? Besides riding Nova." Destin joked.

"Well I'm really good at sketching. I used to sketch Nova a lot, and the places we'd stay. But my sketchbook was ruined in the fall." I remembered searching through my bag after waking up in the healing room, and finding that my sketchbook was waterlogged and useless now.

"I've got a few spares that you can have if you want." Hiccup offered. I smiled and nodded at him.

For another few minutes, nobody spoke. I took this as an opportunity to ask some of my questions.

"So Hiccup…how did you manage to be such good friends with Toothless? And what happened to his tail?" I asked my brother. He looked up and then looked at Toothless and let out a laugh.

"Well if you can believe it, Berk wasn't always dragon-friendly. I was fifteen then, and I'd made this contraption to take down a dragon in midair. Back then, killing dragons was what made you a Viking. During one of the dragon raids, I shot down a Night Fury. Nobody believed me of course." He chuckled and nudged Astrid, who smiled.

"The next day, when I found him, he was caught in the net. I told myself I was going to kill him, to prove to everyone that I could really be a Viking. But in the end, I couldn't. I saw his eyes, and I saw me. So I ended up cutting him free. He tried to fly away, but courtesy of me…" He rubbed the back of his head, looking embarrassed.

"Part of his tail had been injured. He couldn't go anywhere. So for weeks, I brought him food, learned about him, and eventually made a prosthetic so he could fly. And the rest is history." Hiccup laughed and patted Toothless' head.

Ruffnut chimed in for what seemed the first time, and I observed that Tuffnut was now completely asleep, though he was sitting upright.

"So you're planning to stay right? We could use another girl on our team." Ruffnut looked at Astrid and they both smiled and nodded.

I looked at my father, and then at Hiccup. They both looked hopeful.

"If you will have me…than I would love nothing better than to stay."

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the super long chapter guys, though I don't think it's really something to be disappointed about (: I hope you guys liked this chapter, it was kind of a Q&A for all of the characters. Erin will eventually ask more like about Hiccup's leg, how Berk became 'dragon-friendly', etc.

To all my reviewers: Thank you for your support! Without you guys I don't know what I'd do (:

Please Review! See ya next week (;


	4. Taking Flight

**Hey guys! I'm back with chapter 4! Hope you guys like it! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon**

It had been three days since I'd been found. Several days since I'd suddenly been graced with a welcoming home and family.

Unfortunately the past several days had been miserable. Even though I'd been fine on the bonfire trip, my father wanted me to be able to heal properly. Especially my leg. Which meant that I was confined to my bed for most of the three days.

My father, the Chief of Berk, had stated that I'd obviously be living with him and Hiccup. Though my room was not much at the moment, I intended to have books, sketches, and other things personal scattered around sometime in the near future.

I was happy that my father had at least let me go on short walks with Nova throughout the day. Sometimes I'd walk around with her and Destin would join us. Then we'd sit outside my home and watch the sun go down. The sunsets were always beautiful here on Berk.

In my 'confinement', as Destin called it, I became a little restless. All I really wanted to do was explore and go riding with Nova. Though no matter how restless I came to be, I listened to my father, knowing that he was only concerned for me. And that was something I was dearly thankful for.

But today…well today was different.

It had been three agonizing days and the healers said I could leave and walk around on my own. Hiccup and I had been planning to go riding with Toothless and Nova as soon as I was feeling better. And today was that day.

I woke with the sun, feeling ecstatic and anxious to be in the air again.

I wasted no time brushing through my unruly curls and throwing on some pants and a light shirt. It was still summer here, so I didn't really need anything much warmer than this.

I all but ran down the stairs, practically slamming into a still half-asleep Hiccup on the way down. I was ready to run out the door when my father stopped me.

"Whoa whoa, slow down. You can't go out there on an empty stomach." My father chuckled and I realized that I was indeed hungry.

I smiled and took a seat at the small table in our house next to Hiccup.

I tried my best to eat slowly, seeing as I wouldn't be going anywhere at least until Hiccup was fully functional.

When I finished eating, I sat at the table still, eagerly bouncing my leg up and down.

I saw my father smile and I could see that he'd given up on trying to keep me in the house.

"Okay, Erin. Why don't you go ahead and get Nova ready. I'm sure Hiccup will meet you at the stables soon enough."

A bright smile lit up my face, and I had to remember to control myself as I left the house.

Almost running through the town, it took me about two minutes to reach the stables. I was happy to see that someone had already let Nova out. Presumably Destin, since she was playing with Cedric.

At my approach, she seized her playing and bounded over to me. I gave her a hug around her neck and then kissed her head lightly.

"Ready to go riding, girl?" I laughed. She immediately switched to play mode and started to leap around me in the same way a dog would.

I saw some movement headed towards us, and I turned to see Hiccup striding up the hill towards us. Out of nowhere, Toothless jumped off the roof and landed right in front of Hiccup. He started to lick Hiccup before he could even get out a word.

"Toothless! This probably won't wash out you know?" He playfully scolded him.

He looked at me then and chuckled.

"Guess you just couldn't wait, huh?" I laughed and walked over to him. I patted Toothless' head.

"Well I've been cooped up for three days. You can't blame me for being excited." I smiled widely and turned to see Nova making her approach over to us.

She sidled up next to me and nuzzled her head under my arm.

"Well before we go, I've got something for you." I watched as he walked into the stables for a moment. I quirked my brow.

_I've got everything I need? What else could there be? _

My eyes widened when I saw Hiccup walk out carrying a large, black leather saddle.

He set it down on the ground and looked back up at me.

"While you were tucked away in the house, I took the liberty of getting a special saddle made. You don't have to use it if you don't want to. I just noticed you rode Nova bareback.

I walked over to the saddle and inspected it, running my fingers over the leather.

"It's perfect, Hiccup. Thank you." I smiled. I stood up and looked at Nova, who had come up beside me. She was staring at the saddle like it was a bizarre insect.

Hiccup helped me pick it up and place it on her back. We tied it underneath her stomach, and stepped back to examine our teamwork.

It fit her perfectly, and it was almost even the same color as her scales. She seemed to like it, she bounced around Toothless and he showed her the one he had. I giggled and walked over to her.

"Let's get this show on the road." Hiccup said. He climbed on top of Toothless and I did the same with Nova, fitting myself into the new saddle. I saw that there were small sheaths on the side, and made a mental note to fit my daggers in there on the next trip.

I watched as Toothless and Hiccup took off. I smiled and patted Nova.

She took off at a run and then we were flying.

We caught up with Hiccup and Toothless easily. We glided effortlessly over the blue ocean, and I wondered where we were even going.

My thoughts were cut short as Toothless took off and went up into the clouds. Nova and I followed suit.

We found Toothless flapping in place above the clouds and Hiccup had a large smile on his face.

"Just making sure you could keep up sis!" He shouted. I laughed at him and shook my head,

"Don't worry about me!" I screamed as he took off and did several tricks with Toothless in midair. I watched as Toothless did a tight corkscrew and then fell back down beneath the clouds.

Nova and I lowered down just below the clouds to see Hiccup and Toothless gliding effortlessly across the water. I laughed and waited for them to come back up to meet us.

When they did, I remembered a trick that I used to do with Nova.

"Oh yeah? Well just watch this." I stood up from my saddle, and I felt Nova grumble when she realized what I was doing. She didn't particularly like this trick.

I saw Hiccup raise a brow. And then I jumped.

I fell straight down, laughing hysterically all the way. It only took Nova a matter of seconds to reach me. I was back in the saddle and hanging on in no time.

We flew back up to where Hiccup and Toothless had hovered, watching us. Hiccup had a challenging look in his eyes.

"Oh it's on." I watched as he unhooked himself from Toothless. He whispered something to Toothless, and then slipped off the edge of him.

Toothless' eyes grew with alarm and I could tell Hiccup hadn't tried this before. Nova and Toothless took off in pursuit of Hiccup and I watched in amazement as he pulled a string at his side. And suddenly, he was flying.

I laughed in amazement. He was using some type of leather flaps to glide through the air. Toothless glided next to him, Nova and I on the other side. I heard him shouting and laughing.

But that was when things went wrong. The leather that connected to his torso ripped.

"Hiccup!" I screamed my brother's name as he plummeted at dizzying speeds towards the churning water below. The impact would surely kill him.

At that moment, my back felt as if a thousand tiny knives were being pressed into me. I inhaled sharply, but as soon as it had come, it was gone.

Toothless had already spiraled down in a speedy attempt to catch up with Hiccup. It seemed he would make it, but I still took off with Nova towards the water.

I faintly heard him screaming Toothless' name.

I didn't realize I'd been holding my breath until Toothless finally caught up with Hiccup. I watched as Toothless spread his wings out wide, sending them soaring upwards with winds.

They soon came to glide next to me and Nova. To my surprise, Hiccup was laughing. Toothless didn't seem all that amused though.

"We'll have to work on that some more bud." Hiccup laughed shakily. He patted the side of Toothless' head. In response Toothless smacked Hiccup with one of the scaled flaps on his head.

"Hiccup are you alright? You scared me half to death." I felt my heart beating rapidly in my chest. Although I hadn't been the one falling…losing my brother who I'd just come to know almost broke my heart.

He met my worried eyes and smiled reassuringly.

"I'm fine, Erin. Toothless wouldn't let anything happen to me." He said as he scratched the side of Toothless' forehead. I smiled shakily.

"We should find a place to rest for a while. Don't you think?" I suggested. I was pretty sure everyone needed a break after what just happened.

Hiccup nodded, and Toothless started to fly to the north. Nova followed and I decided I'd take a breather.

I bent forward and laid my cheek on top of Nova's head, my arms wrapped loosely around her neck. Nova made a noise in the back of her throat that she usually did when she was concerned about me. I rubbed her neck.

"I'm okay, Nova. It's just that I just found out he was my brother. That I even had a brother. And I was so close to losing him right then…it's just a scary feeling." I closed my eyes briefly, feeling the wind play in my hair.

I smelled the fresh air and even from this height I could taste the saltwater from the ocean. I took several deep breathes to calm my nerves. After a few minutes, I opened my eyes and sat up.

I saw that we were approaching an island. Toothless began to slow down, and Nova followed his example.

We landed effortlessly on the mossy grass of the island. I dismounted Nova and walked over to Hiccup who had just gotten off of Toothless.

I watched with a small smile as Toothless and Nova started to leap around and play together.

"You're sure you're alright?" I asked him.

Even though he nodded I grabbed his face and checked for bruises. I also moved his arms around to make sure they weren't broken. He laughed.

"Erin, I'm fine. I promise." He smiled big, trying to reassure me.

I nodded and then punched him in the arm.

"That was for scaring me." I laughed as he rubbed his arm, laughing also. He shook his head.

"I can tell you and Astrid will be the best of friends." He laughed. I didn't really understand what he meant by that but I guessed that she used to hit him for similar reasons.

We stayed on the island for most of the day. We watched Toothless and Nova run around playing and playing tug-of-war with several trees. Hiccup told me the story of the Red Death that they had to face, and I finally learned how he lost part of his leg, and how Berk had come to love dragons and accept them as their own.

The sun was just starting to go down when we heard the distant flapping of wings. As they drew closer, I saw that it was Astrid and Destin. I smiled.

I hadn't really been able to see anyone since I'd been confined to bed. So it was nice to see some of my new friends.

I sat in the grass and watched them land. Hiccup stood to go greet them and I saw Destin's bright smile the instant he saw me.

"Where have you guys been all day?" Astrid laughed. She watched Storm Fly run off with Toothless and walked over to us. She hugged Hiccup and came over to sit down with him on the grass.

I faintly heard Hiccup replaying the moments of today to Astrid. Destin quickly dismounted Cedric and came to sit next to me on the grass.

"Glad to see you're up and about, Princess. But you spent your whole day away from Berk. I couldn't even see you when you were better. I'm hurt." He put his hand over his heart in a mock attempt at pain. I rolled my eyes and nudged his shoulder with mine.

"I'm sure you'll be just fine. I had to get out and fly for a while." I smiled. I didn't meet his gaze because I knew I'd probably stutter. Instead, I idly picked at the blades of grass under my hands. I heard him chuckle.

When I looked up at him, he was looking at Hiccup.

"You know, Hiccup. We should build a fire and then fly home at dark. That's always my favorite time to fly." He suggested. Hiccup seemed to contemplate it and then nodded. He turned to Astrid

"Sounds good. Did my Dad seem mad that we'd been gone all day?" He asked her. She shook her head.

"No. I think he was expecting that you would be home a little later than usual." She smiled and then looked at us.

"You guys have to find the firewood though." She laughed and settled down to lay in the grass, her arms crossed behind her head.

I laughed and nodded. Destin stood up first and then offered me his hand. I took it and he pulled me up easily.

Nova seemed to understand that I was leaving the area and padded over to see what was going on.

"It's okay, girl. We're just going to get some firewood. You can stay and play with everyone." I scratched her neck and nuzzled my side. I smiled and walked into the wooded area of the island once I saw Toothless was occupying Nova.

The light flooded through the trees in odd shapes. It was like walking through a shadowy mosaic. Destin walked ahead of me, pushing aside branches for me.

Picking up several pieces of wood at a time, Destin looked over at me curiously while I swatted bugs away.

"So what _did_ you do all day?" He said while continuing to pick up wood. I laughed at the days' events.

"Well we went flying, obviously. We showed off some tricks that we knew. Hiccup almost died." I said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

Destin burst into laughter.

"Seriously? What happened?" He seemed to have enough firewood, so he walked over to me.

"Well I guess Hiccup made this thing to make him fly? I don't know but I guess it didn't work and he fell." I rolled my eyes. I hoped he wouldn't do something like that again. I didn't plan on losing my brother anytime soon.

When I'd piled up enough wood, I set it down on the ground in a heap. I wanted to explore a little bit.

"C'mon let's see what's around here." I smiled at Destin and walked through the trees up ahead.

For a few minutes, there really wasn't anything to see except more trees. But even then it was gorgeous. The birds sang their songs in the trees and the pools of light changed color as the sun set.

Destin walked close to me, and we observed in a comfortable silence.

After a few minutes, I saw a break in the trees up ahead.

I turned and smiled widely at Destin before walking up head. There was a clearing after the trees, and at the edge was cliff that over looked the ocean.

The sight was simply breathtaking. The oranges and reds of the sunset were thrown across the water and the clearing. I heard the calling of the seagulls and I could smell the salty ocean spray.

I walked closer to the edge of the cliff. Standing on the edge, I felt as if I was on top of the world. I closed my eyes and let the remaining rays of sun sink into my skin.

My eyes shot open at the abrupt crumbling noise from underneath me. I realized that the edge of the cliff must not be very stable. I backed up as far as I could but the rock beneath me was already falling.

Before I could let out a scream, I felt myself being pulled away from where I had been.

Opening my eyes, I saw Destin's face a few inches from mine. His eyes were wide with surprise and concern. His arms were around my waist and my hands were pressed flat against his chest. I could feel his heart beating fast through his shirt. He was so close that I could see every detail of his face. I noticed for the first time the several different hues of blue that swirled in his eyes.

Destin seemed to notice how close we were standing because he stepped back a little bit to give me some space to breathe. Though thinking about what just happened still made it a little hard.

"Are you okay?" His eyes still held concern. All I could do was nod.

He'd saved me. He'd actually saved me, and from the look in his eyes, he was just as scared as I was about me falling.

"Thank you…for saving me." I couldn't meet his eyes for some reason. So I busied myself with looking at the outcropping of rock that had previously fallen into the waters below.

"Sure thing, Princess." I noticed that he didn't sound as cheery as he usually did when he called me 'Princess'. He seemed a little breathless…nervous even.

"Well we should probably get back…they'll be expecting us." I motioned back towards the woods and he nodded.

He went through first, and I realized I didn't like it when he was this quiet. I liked it when he was funny and himself. So I decided to pick up a small pebble and throw it at the back of his head.

When he turned around, I looked away and pretended to be focused on a very interesting tree branch. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him smirk and I knew my plan had worked.

I continued my little trick until he finally caught it and threw it back at me.

We spent the rest of the trip back laughing and tossing pebbles back and forth.

When we got back to Hiccup and Astrid, they gave us a skeptical look, but thankfully didn't enquire further of why we'd been so late.

I spotted Toothless and Nova curled up next to each other and I smiled.

'_It's good they're getting along.'_ I thought. '_Maybe one day there'll be more than just two Night Fury's._' I smiled at the thought.

I helped Destin stack the firewood and he had Cedric come over and light the fire.

For the rest of the night, we all sat and told stories. Astrid told us about first meeting Toothless. It made me laugh that he'd toyed with her until she'd apologized to Hiccup for the way she used to treat him.

I listened intently as Destin told us about how he was being chased by dragon trappers when Cedric saved him. He told us that he never quite understood what possessed him to do it, but since that day they'd been the best of friends. It had been shortly after that Destin had found Berk.

Though I didn't tell any stories of my own, I listened intently to everything they said. I only wished that I could've been present for all of the amazing things that had happened here.

At one point in the night, Nova left Toothless' side and came to lie down behind me and Destin. She twisted so her body was behind us, her head was on my lap, and her tail was wrapped around the front of us. I remembered how she used to do this on cold nights. She'd stretch out her wings and I'd use her body warmth to keep myself alive.

From his spot beside me, Destin reached over and stroked Nova's forehead. She looked up at him with wide, curious eyes. Then she closed them and leaned into his touch.

After there were no more stories to be told, we decided it was time to go back home. We snuffed out the fire and all mounted our dragons.

Toothless and Hiccup were the first to take off, and the rest of us followed closely behind. Destin and Cedric flew close to Nova and I.

Every few moments I'd look over at them and there were several times when I caught him staring at me. Other times he was looking up at the sky. The midnight black was illuminated by millions of blue and white flickering stars.

Although Nova and I had flown at night a hundred times, the view was never any less amazing. I found myself smiling and staring up at the bright lights. There were usually fires lit all around Berk, and it made it hard to see all of the stars.

I watched as a star streaked across the dark sky. I smiled and closed my eyes, making a small wish. It had been something my 'sister' had often done. Though she'd always wished for material things, I'd always wish to find happiness one day.

I was happy to know that my wish had come true.

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! I hope you liked this chapter. There's going to be a lot of chapters like this where Erin and Nova are just starting to become a part of Berk. This takes place several months before HTTYD2 so it'll eventually lead into that.

To all my readers, thank you for reviewing, favoriting, and following! If you guys have any questions please feel free to ask, I'd be happy to answer them as best I can. As an FYI my school starts here in a few days, so I might be have trouble uploading some weeks. But I'll try my best! (:


	5. The Water is Wide

Hey guys, I'm so sorry for the late update. Things may go a little slow from here on out. I'm just starting school and I'm also trying to find a job so my weeks are pretty busy. I'll try and update whenever I can though!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own HTTYD.

It was a cloudy day in Berk. Most people would be doing anything except what I'm doing. Which so happened to be walking on the beach. The shoreline of Berk was mostly pebbles and small amounts of sand, but I found peace here.

I enjoyed the feeling of the water beneath my toes. And the sounds and smells of the waves always relaxed me.

I was currently sitting on a large rock that was almost exactly where the water met the shore. I sat cross legged, watching the waves rush up to kiss the sand, and sink back into the ocean.

I smiled as I watched Nova frolic in the waves. She was eagerly catching fish to eat, and enjoying every second of it.

The beach hadn't been a place that Nova and I had visited often before we left. But whenever we were able to walk down by the sea, it made up for the serenity we'd missed.

Where I used to live, the ocean was a big part of village life. Which was precisely why Nova and I couldn't visit. There were times when I'd been able to go with my 'family' but it never as much fun as it was with Nova.

I found joy in the fact that we could now come down to the sea anytime that we wanted.

Taking a deep breath, I started to sing to myself a song that had been loved throughout my village.

_The water is wide…_

_I cannot get over…_

I thought about the times I'd laid in the sand and wished I could sail across the vast ocean, get away from the prison that I had called home.

_And neither have,_

_I wings to fly…_

At that time, I used to always envy Nova. She had wings, and she could soar away from this horrible place. But I grew to love her for this, because even though she could, she still stayed with me.

If I had the chance, I would've gone far far away from there without any second thoughts, as long as I could stay with Nova.

A warmth grew in my heart when I remembered where I was. Admittedly, it had taken years for Nova and I to find this place, but it had been well worth it. I had a family, a true family. I had friends. Nova had other dragons to play and interact with. It was more than I could've ever hoped for.

Smiling, I hauled myself off the rock, and let my feet sink into the soft sand, letting the cool water lap over my toes. A small patch of clouds dispersed above us, and a beam of sunlight filtered through, making the ocean sparkle.

I gently hummed the rest of my song, enjoying the sweet melody. I tensed slightly when I sensed a presence behind me. I turned, and relaxed when I saw Destin making his way towards me. He wasn't looking at me. He seemed to be too busy kicking the small seashell.

When he was within five feet of me, he looked up, and a gentle smile pulled at his lips. His eyes reflected the waves and in that instant, he held the ocean in his eyes. It was hard to look away.

Blushing, I bit my lip and looked the way he came.

"Were you looking for me?" I asked. He had seemed to be lazily walking, but somehow I doubted he was taking a casual stroll down the beach. He nervously scratched the back of his head and laughed.

"Yeah. I just tried to make it look casual so it didn't seem like I was stalking you. Which I'm not by the way." He winked and I laughed. I faintly heard Nova splashing in the waves, and briefly wondered how she was still eating.

"Well you found me. What's going on?" I could tell he wanted to ask something.

"Well a bunch of us are going to go cliff diving. We were wondering if you wanted to join." He looked hopeful. In reality, it didn't take longer than five seconds to think about it. I'd done far worse, so this couldn't be that bad.

"Sounds like fun. Is it far from here?" I asked. I had seen several cliffs on my walk, though I didn't know which one he was talking about.

"Not too far." He turned and pointed towards the cliff just west of where were standing. Looking closer, I could see the small outline of dragons on top of the cliff. I figured it would probably only take about fifteen or twenty minutes to get to the top.

Looking back at his expectant eyes and I smiled.

"That sounds like a lot of fun."

A large grin pulled across his features. Giggling slightly, I turned back to Nova who had finally finished eating and was now walking up the shoreline to meet us.

"You really shouldn't eat that much, Nova. You'll hurt yourself." I patted her stomach, and it made a deep rumbling sound. I laughed and shook my head.

"Something tells me she won't be able to fly without getting a second lunch. So walking is probably the best option."

Destin chuckled and nodded.

"Very well, Princess. C'mon it's this way." He walked over and looped his arm through mine, as if he were an escort. Then we walked off towards the woods.

The journey up the path to the cliff was short. Nova seemed impatient, and I could tell she was wondering why she hadn't just flown us up to the top. She trudged in front of us, grumbling and looking back occasionally as if to make sure we were still walking.

For most of the walk up the path, my arm remained looped around Destin's. At one point in the trip, I embarrassingly tripped over a rock. Destin was able to catch me before I did any permanent damage to myself. He'd looped one arm around my waist and the other grasping my hand.

From that point on in the trip, one of my hands laid softly within his. It took almost all of my self-control not to adorn a smile that might crack my face. From that effort, it seemed, my face was probably as red as Hookfang.

When I looked at him, I saw the small smile gracing his lips, and my face would grow warmer.

When we finally reached the cliff, I noticed that were only starting from halfway down it. I raised my eyebrow and looked at Destin.

"Jumping from the highest point is something we don't do often. Usually only Hiccup and Astrid will jump from up there. Everyone has before though. We made it like our acceptance ritual. That might be another reason why they wanted you here." He whispered in my ear as we neared the others. They were all talking in violent whispers, as if they were arguing about something.

They didn't hear us at first, but one of us, probably me, stepped on a twig and everyone turned. They all smiled at me, but I did catch a few of the questioning looks sent our way. I was reminded that my hand was still in Destin's. Stepping away from him, I addressed the others.

"Is something wrong?" I noticed that Snotlout and Tuffnut were glaring at the others.

"As per our ritual. You're supposed to jump from the highest point." Tuffnut said in a slightly annoyed voice. I raised an eyebrow and looked to Hiccup and Astrid.

"Hiccup, you've seen me jump off of Nova in midair. I don't think this is anything worse." I said.

I saw Fishlegs staring over the side of the cliff and peering down at the water with a sick expression. Ruffnut stood close by looking annoyed at her brother.

In response, Hiccup shook his head. His face looked stressed.

"It's not the jumping part. I'm pretty sure you could handle that perfectly." He looked at Fishlegs. Seeing his sick expression, Hiccup's face grew tense. Astrid patted his arm and stepped a little closer to me, the same stressed expression on her face.

"The water is really rough today. You could jump, but the water might throw you around a lot." She said.

I saw the concerned look in her eyes, and noticed it in Hiccup's eyes too. I turned to look at Destin. He had made his way over to the edge. Peering over, I saw his eyebrows knit together. He turned back to me, his expression stony.

He walked over to me, and placed his hands on my arms.

"Maybe you shouldn't do this today. You could get seriously hurt." He looked back at Hiccup for some back up.

Before he could speak up I shook my head.

"Destin, I can do this. I'm a strong swimmer." I said. I did my best to sounds strong and confident. I needed to show them I could do this.

When he didn't look convinced, I placed my hands on either side of his face. I smiled slightly.

"I'll be okay, I promise." I saw his face relax and I stepped away. I looked at Hiccup and Astrid who still looked like they wanted to argue, but they never did.

"Well what are we waiting for?" I smiled, trying to show them I wasn't scared. Hiccup shrugged and mounted Toothless. The others did the same. I was happy to see that Nova was able to fly now.

It took mere seconds to get to the top of the cliff. The wind was much more violent at this height, and the waves below looked more daunting than ever. Taking a deep breath, I scratched Nova's neck and got off of her.

Everyone looked at me with a concerned face, except Snotlout and Tuffnut. They just seemed impressed that I was actually going to through with it.

I took my daggers off my belt and placed them on the ground, along with anything else that might be ruined. Once everything was finally off, I took a few steps back from the edge of the cliff. I looked around and smiled at my friends.

Some of their expressions held encouragement, others concern. Destin looked anxious. Before jumping, I wrapped my arms around his waist in a hug.

"I'll be okay, Destin. You don't have to worry." I pulled back and stood with the edge in front of me. I took a deep breath and ran. At the edge I jumped, and I felt like I was flying. I screamed out of enjoyment.

I saw the water approaching at a quick speed. I held my breath and the rush of cold water shocked me at first. After a few seconds, I realized the current was stronger near the surface, so I started to swim under the waves and to the shore.

I stopped swimming when I saw a glint in the water. Craning my neck, I saw it laying down in the sand about twenty feet from where I was.

Making a split deicision, I swam up to the surface. I waved at my friends, so they'd know I was not drowning and took another gulp of air. Diving back down, I became worried that I'd lose the item, but after a few short seconds of surveying the murky depths, I saw the golden glint once more.

I dived down, kicking my legs at a steady pace to reach the bottom. The water didn't feel so cold now, it held more of a numbing sensation.

When I was only a few feet from it, my vision adjusted to the darkness and I saw it was a necklace. Kicking my legs one more time I glided through the water, and gently picked it up from the sand. It was a gold necklace with a heart shaped pendant. Wiping off some of the grime, I saw several intricate designs on the front of the heart.

When my lungs began to burn I gripped the necklace tight, and began to swim at an angle towards the shore. It didn't take long to shallow water near the beach. The current was not so strong here, and I was able to surface effortlessly.

Looking around, I saw Nova farther out, surveying the water. I realized she probably thought I was still under. I brought my fingers to my mouth and whistled. Her head perked up, and she turned to face the noise.

She flew over within the span of a breath picked me up from where I was standing in the shin deep water. I laughed as she threw me up and I landed on my stomach, spread awkwardly across her back.

"Sorry for worrying you. But I found something!" I pulled myself up and steadied myself on her back. She let out a curious sounding grown at the mention of finding something.

"I'll show you a little later okay?" I smiled and scratched her neck gently as she glided back up to the top of the cliff. During our ascent, I uncurled my fingers and quickly placed the necklace around my neck, hiding it beneath my shirt.

When we reached the top of the cliff, everyone had huge smiles on their faces. Nova landed in the grass next to Toothless, and I climbed off.

Destin was the first to reach me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and spun me around, both of us laughing the entire time. When he set me down, I hugged Hiccup and then Astrid. A high five and a thumbs up came from Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Fishlegs. Snotlout gave me an impressed look and a high five.

Smiling, I turned to Hiccup and laughed.

"Okay, I'm freezing now. Let's go home." He laughed and nodded. I threw a smile at Destin as I got on Nova. He smiled back, and I watched him mount Cedric.

Nova was the first to take off, and I urged her to fly high, I wanted to be above the clouds for a little while.

After making it through the worst of the clouds, I could finally see the sun. It was starting to set, and the world around me was littered with yellows and oranges that danced across the fluffy clouds.

As Nova glided, I leaned forward and rested on my elbows. I pulled the necklace off and started to look at it a bit closer.

There were flowers etched into the heart, their stems winding and twisting into knots. It was beautifully made, and I briefly wondered how it ended up there.

I took a deep breath, smiled slightly to myself, and placed the necklace around my neck once more.

Nova and I flew below the clouds once more and joined the others. I was glad they hadn't come up looking for us.

Nova glided in between Toothless and Cedric. She stuck her tongue out of her mouth, and Toothless looked over and did the same. I giggled at them. I was glad she liked Toothless. I hoped one day they would no longer be the last ones.

I felt a gaze, and turned from Toothless and Nova to see Destin staring at me. His blue eyes shined and he smiled at me. I couldn't help the small blush that spread to my cheeks. I returned the smile and looked back to Nova who was looking at me with a curious expression. I rolled my eyes playfully at her and she did the same. Laughing, I felt my heart grow warm, happy that we'd found our home.

Later that night, Nova and I laid on my large bed. Hiccup told me that Dad let Toothless stay at our home sometimes, so Nova was welcome to also. She was curled on top of my bed, and it was no surprise that she took up the entire space.

Like we usually had done when we lived on our own, I curled up next to her stomach. She curled around so her head was only a foot or so away from mine.

At the moment, I was leaning against her stomach, the necklace in hand. She looked up at me from her head that laid on a soft pillow. I'd showed her the necklace and she'd pawed at it like it was a toy.

Now I held it in my hands and just looked at it. I turned it around and saw nothing particularly special on the back, but noticed there was a small clasp on the side. I quickly realized it wasn't a pendant, but a locket.

I looked back at Nova with a confused look. She grumbled a little and looked at the locket. I looked back at it and gently pried it open.

My eyes widened slightly at the soft melody pouring out of the locket. I didn't understand how it was making the music. But it was beautiful, and so tragically familiar. The soft notes pulled at my heart, and I felt the urge to sing the words. I knew there were words…they were on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't voice them. It was as if I'd heard the song before, but it was long forgotten.

Then I noticed the letters engraved on either side of the heart. An _H_ on the right side, and an _E_ on the left side. I wondered what they meant.

Closing my eyes and leaning my head against Nova's side, I listened to the melody until it ended, and then reopened it to listen to the song again. After the second time, I closed the locket, and placed it around my neck once again.

I blew out the candle that was next to the bed and looked out at the moon from my window. I sighed and laid my body down next to Nova's and fell into a soft sleep.

That night, I dreamed of a face. It was a dragon's face, but it wasn't any dragon I'd ever seen before. Its face was wide, and its eyes curiously looking over me and whatever was crying next to me.

The remnants of a lullaby drifted through my room.

_Oh dearest one, my darling dear…_

**Author's Note:**__And that's the end of this chapter! Sorry I've been so bad with updating. I started college classes along with getting into a car accident so things have been pretty hectic. I don't plan on stopping this fic tho! Pretty please Review! I love you all!

Oh and for anyone that was wondering, the song Erin was singing on the beach was The Water is Wide. The version I was thinking was by Hayley Westenra. I don't own that song! Oh and I hope you guys know what song the locket plays ;)


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